Household tongs for cleaning wads



Jan. 2, 1951 CULP 2,536,873

HOUSEHOLD TONGS FOR CLEANING WADS Filed May 14, 1948 Fig. 1 Fig. 2.

INVENTOR.

Harrg \2. Culp BY $21 K.

i atentecl Jan. 2, 1951 UN [TE D STAT ES i-PATENT F- 1". r 2,536,873:HQUSEHOIID fI'ONGS FORCLEANING WAES Harry-R. Culp, Miami, Fla.

-Application May 14, 1948',"Serial Nd.27',028

.1.- Claim.

household tengs. .=and,- more particularly, to a kitchen appliancehaving utility in the cleaning and scrubbing of pots,..pans,= and thelike, by gripping the wad of steel wool or other abrasive material toprevent soiling or injury to the hands.

An object of the invention is to provide household tongs which may bereadily and conveniently applied to the cleaning material and disengagedtherefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a kitchen appliance of thecharacter and for the purposes described which will be simple inconstruction and economical in manufacture.

A further object is to provide household tongs which will positivelygrip the wad of cleaning material and be capable of convenientmanipulation in use.

Other objects will be discerned from the description of the inventionhereinafter set forth.

According to the invention, the household tongs are formed from asingle, unitary strip of sheet material, looped in the mid-portionthereof so as to return the free ends of the strip upon each other todefine a pair of juxtaposed, complementary jaws adapted to grip a wad ofcleaning material therebetween.

The looped strip is pinned or joined near the free ends thereof toprovide a handle portion and a contractible jaw portion, and a swivableclamp is pivoted about the jointure thus effected whereby to overlie andclamp the jaw portion in gripping relation with the cleaning wad heldtherebetween.

The invention is exemplified by a household tongs shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which the views are as follows:

Fig. l is a perspective of the tongs with jaws in contracted position;and

Fig. 2 an elevation thereof with jaws in ex panded position.

The household tongs are formed from a single strip of suitable materialwhich may be spring metal or one of the plastic substances.

The strip is bent in the mid-portion thereof, as at i, and the free endslooped to return 180 degrees upon each other to form a handle comprisingthe side members 2.

The side members 2 are conjoined near the free ends thereof to form aspring-point region from which these members are outwardly extended todefine a pair of complementary.

' concavo-convex gripping members presenting 'the -:concave sidesTthereof i'toward :thericleaning wad held therebetween, *to .athereby':rprovidetsa relatively: greatersgripping areaaagainst i thewa'd.

The jaws .are sserr'atecl along "the peripheries .thereof. as at ii".to. facilitate lthe positivezengagement of the jaws with the cleaningwad gripped therebetween.

At their outer extremities, the jaws are beveled substantially, as at 6,to permit the tongs to be manipulated at an angle to the surface beingcleaned without unduly straining thegrip of the user, as will beunderstood.

Clasping the side members 2 in the springpoint region thereof andpivotably connected thereto, as at 3, is an oscillatory clamp 1, formedfrom a single piece of sheet materialand bent to overlie the inner endsor shoulders B of the jaws. The clamp l is terminated along an outeredge thereof in a cylindrical flange 9 which is engageable by the thumbof the user to pivot the clamp in relation to the jaws 4, so as tooscillate the jaws between their open and closed positions.

It will be understood that the jaws 4 are preformed so as to springnormally outwardly, being restrained in their closed position about thecleaning wad by the clamp I.

By this construction, the clamp has embodied therewith a clasp memberfor the restriction of the side members 2 in conjuncture, and the claspis operable as a hinge whereon the clamp has pivotal movement in theoscillation thereof in relation to the jaws 4. By virtue of theconjoined spring-point region formed in the side members, the jaws arenormally expanded. Their contraction to seize the wad, of cleaningmaterial and to maintain gripping relation therewith is effected by arelatively slight pressure exerted by the users thumb against flange 9of the clamp. Thus, the device eliminates any gripping action which auser might otherwise be required to exert to force the jaws together soas to seize the wad and maintain the jaws in gripping relation therewiththereby minimizing hand fatigue and facilitating the convenientmanipulation of the tongs. Further,

' the assembly of the clamp structure with the side members in pivotalrelation thereto and the pinching together of the side members inconjuncture may be accomplished in a single machine operation.

The invention thus provides an appliance for hold a wad of steel wool orlike abrasive cleaning material, which is simple and economical inconstruction and eflicient in use.

Of course, the invention is susceptible of var 3 ious minor changes indesign and arrangement without departing from the scope thereof.

Having thus described the invention and the manner of its employment,what I claim as new and seek to secure by Letters Patent is:

A pair of household tongs formed from a single strip bent in themid-portion thereof to define a loop having a pair of spaced sidemembers terminating at their free ends in a pair of complementary,outwardly-sprung jaws and conjoining rearwardly of said jaws to form aspring-point region therefor, an oscillatory clamp engageable with saidjaws for the contraction thereof to grip a wad of cleaning materialtherebetween, said clamp including a hingeable clasp formed integrallytherewith and embracing said side members in the spring-point regionthereof to restrict said side members in conjuncture and forming a hingefor the oscillatory movement of said clamp, a cylindrical flange formedintegrally with said clamp and disposed transversely thereof tofacilitate the engagement of said clamp by the thumb of the user, andsaid jaws having serrated peripheral edges and a beveled contact edgeformed along one side thereof at an angle to the longitudinal axis ofsaid tongs.

HARRY R. CULP.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 460,018 KolstadSept. 22, 1891 759,668 Carlsen May 10, 1904 796,510 Hann Aug. 8, 1905900,625 Wallis Oct. 6, 1908 1,289,325 Wake Dec. 31, 1918 1,417,619 MaleMay 30, 1922 1,456,321 McGuire May 22, 1923 2,042,985 Gardella June 2,1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 170,012 Switzerland Sept. 1,1934

